US strike destroyed 20 percent of Syria's working jets: Mattis

Last week’s US strike on a Syrian air base destroyed a fifth of President Bashar al-Assad’s working warplanes, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Monday. “The assessment of the Department of Defense is that the strike resulted in the damage or destruction of fuel and ammunition sites, air defense capabilities, and 20 percent of Syria’s operational aircraft,” Mattis said in a statement. “The Syrian government has lost the ability to refuel or re-arm aircraft at Shayrat airfield and at this point, use of the runway is of idle military interest,” he added.